20 Under 40 – Cindy Revol
36
Perot Jain
Education: Columbia University, University of Texas
Cindy Revol is using her love for science sparked at Highland Park High School as a principal at Perot Jain, an early-stage tech venture capital investment firm.
“That means I get to spend my days meeting with incredibly smart and talented entrepreneurs learning about the coolest new technologies and incredible ways these individuals are applying these technologies to solve business problems,” Revol said.
Before starting at Perot Jain, she worked as a product manager/data scientist at Flatiron Health, a tech startup based in New York. Before that, she worked in healthcare consulting at Analysis Group, public market investing at Taconic Capital Advisors, and investment banking at Goldman Sachs.
“When I moved to New York after college and met my now-husband while I was working there, I assumed I wouldn’t be coming back. But fortunately, the stars aligned, and we are now residents of Highland Park,” Cindy said. “I am still close with many of the same friends I had in high school, and many of us are back in the Park Cities raising our children. It is fun to go to Scots games on Friday nights to support our team and re-live some fond memories.”
She’s a member of the committee that launched the first-annual Venture Dallas conference, Gen Next Dallas, and the La Fiesta Guild of the Park Cities.
Q: Where do you see yourself and/or your career 10 years from now?
A: I definitely see myself still in Highland Park. I’m not going anywhere. As for my career, this is hard for me because I’ve always had a five-or-10 year plan, and this is the first time in my life where I don’t have an idea what might be next. My career has provided such rich opportunities to grow and learn, and I’ve discovered that at this point in my life, it’s impossible to truly plan because a lot of my success has been about opportunity and timing. But if I have to make a plan, I would love to still be working with my team at Perot Jain. I hope to become a partner and help build out what the next iteration of this family office will be. I am excited for the unknown and what amazing paths I might go down as I help continue to build our young company.
Q: Tell us about your involvement in the Park Cities and/or Preston Hollow communities?
A: I am a member of our local preschool association (Armstrong Bradfield Preschool Association) and I currently serve as Treasurer of the Parents Association for The Weekday School at University Park United Methodist Church where my daughter attends preschool. I recently became a member of both Gen Next Dallas and the La Fiesta Guild of the Park Cities so I am excited about becoming more involved with these organizations.
As far as the broader Dallas community, as part of my job I am extremely active in the start-up and innovation ecosystem in Dallas. I am a member of the committee that launched the first annual Venture Dallas conference, with the goal of highlighting what Dallas has to offer in the venture space. We are currently working on our second annual conference coming up in September. I also serve as a mentor with a few local organizations to help local entrepreneurs as they build their businesses.
Q: What was your “lightbulb moment” that lead you to your career?
A: I don’t think I really had one as I have done a lot of different things in my career. I sometimes still joke that I’m still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up. One “ah-ha” moment that lead me down my original path was my love for chemistry in high school. I had a phenomenal chemistry teacher and took two years of chemistry because it was by far my favorite subject. This is what led me to UT and pursuing a chemical engineering degree. And I still have a passion for science, particularly in the healthcare space.
Q: What do you love most about your community?
A: Every time my husband and I take our daughter for a walk, we comment on how wonderful our neighborhood is. Not only is it a beautiful place to live, everyone who lives here is so friendly and so willing to lend a hand, make a recommendation, give advice, etc. It feels like a place where everyone rallies around each other and our children so that we all have the best chance of success. I feel incredibly fortunate to live here and can’t imagine raising my daughter anywhere else.
Q: What was your first job and what did you learn from it?
A: My very first job ever was as a bookseller at Bookstop during a summer in high school. I was obsessed with bookstores and could spend hours in one, so figured I might as well get paid for it. The variety of people that come into a bookstore is extreme and it was a great lesson in diversity of thought and interests. It was my job to point people in the right direction for them, not to impose my preferences or judgments. It was always rewarding when I could help them find something, they didn’t know they were looking for! I also learned that I love to read, and I am always looking to learn!
My first “real world” job was as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs in New York. While it was definitely grueling with long hours and little sleep, it was an amazing introduction to the working world and has provided me with a solid foundation on which to build my career. They provided a few weeks of training, but after that, you got thrown right into it, so you had to learn extremely quickly. This job taught me things like how to navigate a male-dominated office place, how to write an appropriate professional email (an often-overlooked skill) and how to have extreme attention to detail (even on very little sleep!) because the work product you put out is the first thing the client sees. It was also a humbling experience given the caliber of the people and the fast pace of the work. While it was a difficult two years, I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
Q: What is your favorite local store?
A: Miron Crosby in Highland Park Village. This store has the most amazing, handcrafted cowboy boots you’ve ever seen and also carries some really beautiful jewelry and other accessories. I am fortunate enough to know the boot brand’s founders…, so occasionally my friends and I will stop by for a glass of wine or tequila and try on boots or talk about the boots we will eventually buy while spending time with the wonderful women who run the store. You can buy the boots as is or you can create a fully custom pair. They are truly amazing boots – I now own three pairs and wear them all the time! My favorite pair are the ones I just had made – a pair of custom Samantha’s with white leather and burnt orange and sienna stitching/details – perfect for UT game day!
Q: Where is the best place in the Park Cities or Preston Hollow for a power lunch – what do you order?
A: Park House. I have almost every business lunch or breakfast/coffee meeting there. My favorite lunch dish is the steak bowl, but I die for the scramble dish they have on the breakfast and brunch menu.
